The caravan compelled all Americans, including politicians, to face the consequences of years of inaction on immigration reform. It lays bare a fundamental question of U.S. politics. Are we a sovereign nation that insists on law and order and will defend ourselves from unwanted invasion, or do we have open borders regardless of where and when and how people cross?

When facing such choices, many moderate Americans who are generally sympathetic to the plight of immigrants and supportive of their right to pursue happiness will likely demand immigrants only be admitted in an orderly fashion by legal means. No matter how welcoming we are, none of us like to embrace any stranger who pushes open our front door and demands to stay.

In other words, the more illegal entries such as the caravan are forced upon our borders, the more Americans will demand law and order. This is why earlier this year a left-leaning poll shows the majority of Americans agree with almost all of Trump’s immigration proposals, including ending chain migration, creating a visa lottery, and using merit-based immigration.